No-Time-to-Waste November

If you are anything like me, you are probably reading this newsletter with a pile of empty candy wrappers around you, anxiously wondering just how many Milky Ways are TOO many, or what to eat next. Believe me, I’m with you. The good news is that we’re welcoming a lot of great new reads this month, and nothing soothes a candy hangover like curling up with a good book.

In our last update, I was frantically counting down to the October 19th release of THE BOOK OF DUST, the book I’ve been waiting for for SEVENTEEN years. I got my copy first thing in the morning on the 19th and nearly read it straight through in one day. Believe it or not, I am now on my second read-through, and I am still finding more to love. You can see a photo of me holding my copy (alongside my tattoo from THE GOLDEN COMPASS) above.

When you work in publishing, it’s easy to forget how exciting it is to wait for a new book and feel that initial rush when you finally get to open it and start reading. THE BOOK OF DUST reminded me of that feeling and how hard the authors, editors and publicists behind each book work to make sure that each book is an experience for their readers.

This brings me to the topic of piracy (and no, I’m not talking about your dad’s weird Halloween costume). In this case, piracy refers to the illegal copying and distributing of online software, books, movies or television shows. This week, author Maggie Stiefvater shared a really fascinating story about how piracy hurt the sales of the third book in her Raven Cycle series, BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE. To protect herself against the same issue with the release of the fourth book, THE RAVEN KING, she had to go to some pretty extreme lengths, which you can read about here. I know it's easy to think that your favorite authors are already making a fortune on their book sales, but try to remember this piece the next time you even consider downloading an unofficial copy of a book.

On a much lighter note, the movie poster for Love, Simon (formerly known as SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA, the bestselling book by YA queen Becky Albertalli) is finally here, and it looks adorable --- check it out above. This movie won't hit theaters until March 2018, but we're already counting down the days!

It's no secret that we at Teenreads love a good book festival, and November brings two of our favorites. First comes YALLFest, which will be taking place in Charleston, South Carolina, the weekend of November 10th. Teen Board members Danielle F., Taylor F. and Isabel C. will all be on the scene reporting for us, so be sure to check out our Instagram that weekend.

Next comes the Miami Book Fair, which begins on November 12th and continues through the 19th. This is a huge, really fun event for booklovers, and it's definitely at the top of my bookish bucket list. Luckily, I will be able to live vicariously through Teen Board member Rachel D., who will be covering the event for us. You can read more about the Fair below.

Finally, Penguin Young Readers will be partnering with Facebook tonight to live stream the final event of John Green's TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN tour. Tune in on John Green's Facebook at 7pm (PST) tonight to see John and his brother, Hank, discuss the book at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA. The event is presented by the Los Angeles Times Festival of Book and Vroman's Bookstore.

Teen Events at the Miami Book Fair!

Reading, writing, storytelling, art and music --- they all lead to discovery and a life-long love of books. Once again, The Fair will bring more than 9,000 schoolchildren on school buses to the Fair so they can meet their favorite authors and receive FREE books! Catch live presentations by some of the hottest authors for kids and YA, with readings by Gene Yang, Jason Segel, Mercedes Lackey, Peter Lerangis, Maggie Thrash, Nathan Hale, Mariko Tamaki and many more! The children’s stage will host storytelling and a myriad of performances sure to delight and engage kids of all ages!

One of our most popular features on Teenreads is our Ultimate Reading List, a selection of books that are compelling, beautifully written, pure fun, thought-provoking or edge-of-your-seat gripping --- books that we would hand to someone and say, “Read this!” Here are some of the titles we're adding this month:

THE CLOSEST I'VE COME by Fred Aceves (Contemporary Fiction)Audiobook available, narrated by Christian Barillas.
Marcos Rivas yearns for love, a working cell phone and maybe a pair of sneakers that aren’t falling apart. But more than anything, Marcos wants to get out of Maesta, his hood, away from his indifferent mom and her abusive boyfriend. When Marcos is placed in a new after-school program, he meets Zach and Amy, whose friendship inspires Marcos to open up to his crew, too, and start to think more about his future and what he has to fight for. Marcos ultimately learns that bravery isn’t about acting tough and being macho; it’s about being true to yourself.

NOW IS EVERYTHING by Amy Giles (Contemporary Fiction)
The McCauleys look perfect on the outside. But nothing is ever as it seems, and this family is hiding a dark secret. Hadley McCauley will do anything to keep her sister safe from their father. But when Hadley's forbidden relationship with Charlie Simmons deepens, the violence at home escalates, culminating in an explosive accident that will leave everyone changed. When Hadley attempts to take her own life at the hospital post-accident, her friends, doctors, family and the investigator on the case want to know why. Only Hadley knows what really happened that day, and she's not talking.

I NEVER by Laura Hopper (Contemporary Romance)
Janey King’s priorities used to be clear: track, school, friends, and family. But when 17-year-old Janey learns that her seemingly happy parents are getting divorced, her world starts to shift. Back at school, Luke Hallstrom, an adorable senior, pursues Janey, and she realizes that she has two new priorities to consider.

Be sure to check out our next update, where we'll be discussing the rest of this month's Ultimate Reading List additions!

Featured Review: LA BELLE SAUVAGE by Philip Pullman

LA BELLE SAUVAGE (The Book of Dust, Volume One) by Philip Pullman (Fantasy)Audiobook available, narrated by Michael Sheen.
Eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead and his dæmon, Asta, live with his parents at the Trout Inn near Oxford. Across the River Thames (which Malcolm navigates often using his beloved canoe, a boat by the name of La Belle Sauvage) is the Godstow Priory where the nuns live. Malcolm learns they have a guest with them; a baby by the name of Lyra Belacqua... Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.

Featured Review: LONG WAY DOWN by Jason Reynolds

LONG WAY DOWN by Jason Reynolds (Contemporary Fiction)Audiobook available, narrated by Kate Rudd.
An ode to "Put the Damn Guns Down," LONG WAY DOWN is National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in 60 potent seconds --- the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother. Reviewed by Derek Lipton.

November's Books On Screen

November's Books on Screen roundup includes the feature filmsThor: Ragnarok, Murder on the Orient Express, The Breadwinner, Justice League, Wonder, and The Man Who Invented Christmas; the series premieres of "Marvel's The Punisher" and "Marvel's The Runaways"; the series finales of "Marvel's Inhumans" and "The Shannara Chronicles"; and the DVD releases of The Glass Castle and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

November's Books to Add to Your Guy-Brary Bookshelf

Our November Guy-Brary selection includes EIGHT DAYS ON PLANET EARTH by Cat Jordan, in which a teenage boy grapples with his father's abandonment, new love and the extraterrestrial; HELLWALKERS, the third and final book in Alexander Gordon Smith's Devil's Engine series; and Marcella Pixley's READY TO FALL, the story of a teenage boy dealing with his mother's death from cancer and his inability to let go and return to reality.

November's Teen Board Update

Monthly Question: Halloween might be over, but we're still drooling over the wild and wacky costumes we saw both IRL and on Instagram. Last month, we asked our Teen Board Members to describe their dream YA-inspired Halloween costumes. Click here to see their answers and prepare your ideas for next year!

More New Reviews

INVICTUS by Ryan Graudin (Science Fiction)Audiobook available, narrated by Maxwell Hamilton.
The son of a time traveler from 2354 AD and a Roman gladiator, Farway Gaius McCarthy's very existence defies the laws of nature. After failing his entrance exam into the government program, Far will have to settle for captaining a time-traveling crew to steal valuables from the past. During a routine heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl named Eliot who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with the knowledge that history is not as steady as it seems, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to set things right before the clock runs out. Reviewed by Laina Q., Teen Board Member.

RINGER by Lauren Oliver (Dystopian Fiction)Audiobook available, narrated by Sarah Drew and Erin Spencer.
In the world outside of the Haven Institute, Lyra and Caelum are finding it hard to be human --- and Lyra, infected at Haven with a terrible disease, finds her symptoms are growing worse. When Caelum leaves without warning, Lyra follows him, seeking a pioneering organization in Philadelphia that might have a cure. But what they uncover there is a shocking connection to their past, even as their future seems in danger of collapsing.Though Gemma just wants to go back to her normal life after Haven, she soon learns that her powerful father has other plans for the replicas. Reviewed by Abigail D., Teen Board Member.

STARFISH by Akemi Dawn Bowman (Contemporary Fiction)
Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what she’s thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesn’t quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin. But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the west coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. Reviewed by Taylor F., Teen Board Member.

INTO THE BRIGHT UNKNOWN by Rae Carson (Historical Fantasy)Audiobook available, narrated by Erin Mallon.
Leah is poised to have everything she ever dreamed of on the long, dangerous journey to California’s gold fields --- wealth, love, the truest friends, and a home. Thanks to her magical ability to sense precious gold, Leah, her fiancé Jefferson, and her friends have claimed rich land in California Territory. But their fortune makes them a target, and when a dangerous billionaire sets out to destroy them, Leah and her friends must fight back with all their power and talents. Leah’s magic is continuing to strengthen and grow, but someone is on to her --- someone who might have a bit of magic herself. Reviewed by Ellie T., Teen Board Member.

MASK OF SHADOWS by Linsey Miller (Fantasy)
Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class --- and the nobles who destroyed their home. When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand --- the Queen's personal assassins, named after the rings she wears --- Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge.

CLASS: The Stone House by Patrick Ness and A.K. Benedict (Science Fiction)
Tanya keeps having bad dreams about the old stone house around the corner from Coal Hill School --- and a girl trapped there, screaming and terrified. When Tanya and her friends go to investigate the strange house covered in cobwebs, they stumble onto their own worst nightmares come to life. But there is a presence haunting the house that is even more powerful than their individual horrors. A presence that may not want to let them go... Reviewed by Jeremy H., Teen Board Member.

27 HOURS (The Nightside Saga) by Tristina Wright (Science Fiction)Audiobook available, narrated by Michael Crouch.
Rumor Mora fears two things: hellhounds too strong for him to kill, and failure. Jude Welton has two dreams: for humans to stop killing monsters, and for his strange abilities to vanish. But in no reality should a boy raised to love monsters fall for a boy raised to kill them. Nyx Llorca keeps two secrets: the moon speaks to her, and she's in love with her best friend, Dahlia. Braeden Tennant wants two things: to get out from his mother's shadow, and to unlearn his colony’s darkest secret. Reviewed by Wren L., Teen Board Member.

MICHAEL VEY 7: The Final Spark by Richard Paul Evans (Science Fiction)
The battle on the island of Hades ended with a devastating explosion that left the island a smoking ruin and much of Hatch’s army dead. However, Hatch survived and he’s more determined than ever to bring the world’s governments under his control. But first, he wants to wipe out the Resistance and capture the remaining members of the divided Electroclan. The voice is captured, and Michael’s mother is being used as bait to lure the leader of the Resistance out of hiding. Can anything --- or anyone --- stop the Elgen? Or is this the end? Reviewed by Jeremy H., Teen Board Member.

SHE, MYSELF, AND I by Emma Young (Science Fiction)
Ever since Rosa’s nerve disease rendered her quadriplegic, she’s depended on her handsome, confident older brother to be her rock and her mirror. But when a doctor from Boston chooses her to be a candidate for an experimental brain transplant, she and her family move from London in search of a miracle. Sylvia --- a girl from a small town in Massachusetts --- is brain dead, and her parents have agreed to donate her body to give Rosa a new life. But when Rosa wakes from surgery, she can’t help but wonder, with increasing obsession, who Sylvia was and what her life was like. Reviewed by Lillian B., Teen Board Member.

November Poll

Do you listen to book-related podcasts?

Yes, I enjoy them!

I listen to podcasts, but they are not book-related.

I have listened to book-related podcasts in the past, but I do not anymore.